East Stroudsburg resident Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick didn't have to do much preparation to play the small role of Ethan Hawke's son Henry in "Before Midnight. " On screen, Hawke and Davey-Fitzpatrick's characters share a tight emotional bond. Off screen, Davey-Fitzpatrick felt as if he'd known Hawke and director Richard Linklater all of his life. "Ethan and Rick were the coolest guys to hang out with," says the 14-year-old actor. "We had a blast together. " When Davey-Fitzpatrick found a few lines tough to say, Hawke, who co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater and co-star Julie Delpy, updated the dialogue for him. But what really impressed the teen actor was Hawke's knowledge of a Greek beverage called the Submarine Water Taffy.

East Stroudsburg resident Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick didn't have to do much preparation to play the small role of Ethan Hawke's son Henry in "Before Midnight. " On screen, Hawke and Davey-Fitzpatrick's characters share a tight emotional bond. Off screen, Davey-Fitzpatrick felt as if he'd known Hawke and director Richard Linklater all of his life. "Ethan and Rick were the coolest guys to hang out with," says the 14-year-old actor. "We had a blast together. " When Davey-Fitzpatrick found a few lines tough to say, Hawke, who co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater and co-star Julie Delpy, updated the dialogue for him. But what really impressed the teen actor was Hawke's knowledge of a Greek beverage called the Submarine Water Taffy.

By Amy Longsdorf Special to The Morning Call - Freelance | March 18, 2004

Until now, Ethan Hawke arguably has done his best work in indie films, especially the barely-released "Tape" (2001) and the much-praised "Hamlet" (2000). But mainstream movies are beckoning him. "Taking Lives," directed by D.J. Caruso and opening Friday in area theaters, is a big-budget thriller starring Angelina Jolie as an FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer who steals the lives and identities of his victims. Hawke plays a witness to one of the murders who might not be exactly who he appears to be. Hawke says he enjoyed the challenge of trying to create a complicated character within the confines of a genre thriller.

Ethan Hawke and wife Ryan Shawhughes are the new parents of a baby girl. "Clementine Jane Hawke was born on Friday in New York City," Hawke's publicist Mara Buxbaum said Wednesday. The couple were married last month in New York. Hawke, 37, has two children from his marriage to Uma Thurman. His screen credits include "Training Day," "Dead Poets Society," "Great Expectations" and "Before Sunset."

Ethan Hawke, best known for his role as the sensitive boarding-school student in the movie, "Dead Poets Society," doesn't mind when fans recognize him in public. He just wishes their timing were better. "Whenever you're on a key date, and you really want to impress somebody, it doesn't (happen). But having lunch with my mother, it happens about 30 times." Hawke gets his chance for a key date in "Mystery Date," a new movie opening today. Hawke plays Tom McHugh, yearning for beautiful next-door neighbor Geena (Dover, Del., native Teri Polo)

Ethan Hawke and wife Ryan Shawhughes are the new parents of a baby girl. "Clementine Jane Hawke was born on Friday in New York City," Hawke's publicist Mara Buxbaum said Wednesday. The couple were married last month in New York. Hawke, 37, has two children from his marriage to Uma Thurman. His screen credits include "Training Day," "Dead Poets Society," "Great Expectations" and "Before Sunset."

LORD OF WAR An action-adventure story set in the world of international arms-dealing. Fitting, isn't it? The film -- based on fact -- follows the globe-trotting exploits of international arms dealer Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage). The film is stacked with some of Hollywood's strongest males -- Nicolas Cage, Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto and Ian Holm. The story follows Cage's character in his global marketing of weapons. He is chased by relentless Interpol agent played by Hawke through some of the most dangerous war zones of the world.

Big Fat Liar: Frankie Muniz ("Malcolm in the Middle") plays a high-schooler whose essay falls into the hands of a producer (Paul Giamatti) who turns it into a hit film. The kid goes to L.A. to claim his due. PG (language). 1 hr. 27 min. Collateral Damage: Arnold Schwarzenegger is a firefighter vowing revenge against a Colombian drug lord whose bombs killed his wife and son. His mission takes him from South American jungles to Washington. Andrew Davis directs a cast that includes John Leguizamo and John Turturro.

Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor aren't the first actors to make escaping authorities in the future look good. Take a look at some other actors who've zig-zagged their way through futuristic hells, and lived to tell about it. LOGAN'S RUN (1976) Michael York tries to high tail it out of a society that doesn't allow people to live past 30. It's sort of like a career in modeling. BLADE RUNNER (1982) In Ridley Scott's dystopian vision, Harrison Ford plays a detective sent to track down replicate human beings, only to end up being a falsey himself -- possibly.

TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE Set in the late 19th century, nebbish Victor is whisked away from his impending nuptials to the land of the dead, where he gets married to a corpse bride (catchy title, eh?). Meanwhile his true wife-to-be waits in the world above. Although Victor realizes the death world may be a bit more animated and colorful than the tight Victorian life upstairs, nothing can keep him from his true love, Victoria (living bride). Bride is a stop-motion, animated film, which stays in theme to Burton's previous work (Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands)

TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE Set in the late 19th century, nebbish Victor is whisked away from his impending nuptials to the land of the dead, where he gets married to a corpse bride (catchy title, eh?). Meanwhile his true wife-to-be waits in the world above. Although Victor realizes the death world may be a bit more animated and colorful than the tight Victorian life upstairs, nothing can keep him from his true love, Victoria (living bride). Bride is a stop-motion, animated film, which stays in theme to Burton's previous work (Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands)

LORD OF WAR An action-adventure story set in the world of international arms-dealing. Fitting, isn't it? The film -- based on fact -- follows the globe-trotting exploits of international arms dealer Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage). The film is stacked with some of Hollywood's strongest males -- Nicolas Cage, Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto and Ian Holm. The story follows Cage's character in his global marketing of weapons. He is chased by relentless Interpol agent played by Hawke through some of the most dangerous war zones of the world.

Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor aren't the first actors to make escaping authorities in the future look good. Take a look at some other actors who've zig-zagged their way through futuristic hells, and lived to tell about it. LOGAN'S RUN (1976) Michael York tries to high tail it out of a society that doesn't allow people to live past 30. It's sort of like a career in modeling. BLADE RUNNER (1982) In Ridley Scott's dystopian vision, Harrison Ford plays a detective sent to track down replicate human beings, only to end up being a falsey himself -- possibly.

By Amy Longsdorf Special to The Morning Call - Freelance | May 12, 2005

Middle-aged advertising exec Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) has a doozy of a dilemma. His new boss -- a whiz kid named Carter Duryea (Topher Grace) -- not only snatches his job but starts dating his daughter (Scarlett Johansson). Yes, the premise of "In Good Company" (2004, Universal, PG-13, $30) sounds far-fetched. But writer-director Paul Weitz ("About a Boy") has come up with a nuanced film that transcends cliches. This is an unexpectedly complex portrait of two men on the verge of big life changes.

By Amy Longsdorf Special to The Morning Call - Freelance | November 11, 2004

Frank Oz' s comic spin on the 1972 chiller, "The Stepford Wives" (2004, Paramount, PG-13, $30), is not as clever as it could have been, but it's still fine candy for the mind and eye. Nicole Kidman is a fired TV exec who is talked into moving to the Connecticut suburbs by her wishy-washy husband (Matthew Broderick). When he joins a creepy men's club, she conspires with Bette Midler to find out why certain housewives (including Faith Hill and scene-stealing Glenn Close) are blonde, vapid and subservient.

By Amy Longsdorf Special to The Morning Call - Freelance | March 18, 2004

Until now, Ethan Hawke arguably has done his best work in indie films, especially the barely-released "Tape" (2001) and the much-praised "Hamlet" (2000). But mainstream movies are beckoning him. "Taking Lives," directed by D.J. Caruso and opening Friday in area theaters, is a big-budget thriller starring Angelina Jolie as an FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer who steals the lives and identities of his victims. Hawke plays a witness to one of the murders who might not be exactly who he appears to be. Hawke says he enjoyed the challenge of trying to create a complicated character within the confines of a genre thriller.

By Amy Longsdorf Special to The Morning Call - Freelance | November 11, 2004

Frank Oz' s comic spin on the 1972 chiller, "The Stepford Wives" (2004, Paramount, PG-13, $30), is not as clever as it could have been, but it's still fine candy for the mind and eye. Nicole Kidman is a fired TV exec who is talked into moving to the Connecticut suburbs by her wishy-washy husband (Matthew Broderick). When he joins a creepy men's club, she conspires with Bette Midler to find out why certain housewives (including Faith Hill and scene-stealing Glenn Close) are blonde, vapid and subservient.

By Amy Longsdorf Special to The Morning Call - Freelance | March 21, 2002

On the surface, "Training Day" (2001, Warner, R, $23 VHS, $27 DVD), an action film about 24 hours in the life of two narcotics officers, sounds like hundreds of other buddy-cop adventures punctuated by shoot-outs and car chases. Denzel Washington plays the experienced veteran who knows the streets like the back of his hand and Ethan Hawke is the daisy-fresh rookie from the suburbs about to get an education in the way things really operate. But "Training Day" also is a cautionary tale about how power corrupts.

Big Fat Liar: Frankie Muniz ("Malcolm in the Middle") plays a high-schooler whose essay falls into the hands of a producer (Paul Giamatti) who turns it into a hit film. The kid goes to L.A. to claim his due. PG (language). 1 hr. 27 min. Collateral Damage: Arnold Schwarzenegger is a firefighter vowing revenge against a Colombian drug lord whose bombs killed his wife and son. His mission takes him from South American jungles to Washington. Andrew Davis directs a cast that includes John Leguizamo and John Turturro.